Studies On Calvin Wilson Mateer

Calvin Wilson Mateer, born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania on January 9,1836, who arrived in china on January15, 1864 after occupying six months in a slow and wretchedly uncomfortable sailing vessel. Difficulties did not end when the Mateers arrived at their destination. The people was not friendly; the conveniences of life were few; the loneliness and isolation were exceedingly trying; but Matter was undaunted and pushed him wok with splendid courage and faith.While Dr. Matter deeply interested in evangelistic work and helping greatly in it, felt chiefly drawn toward educational work. In 1864, one year after his arrival, he and his wife managed to gather six students, and with a faith as strong as it was sagacious Dr. and Mrs Matter set themselves to the task of building up a college. Increasing numbers of young Chinese gathered around him, the college grow. The college had educated more or less completely perhaps two hundred pupils. Most of whom had been trained to live upright, godly and Christian lives. For the graduates who were beginning to be sent forth there was a demand to fill position of high importance, much in excess of the supply, and by no means limited to shantung.Dr. Matter was famous not only as an educator, but as an author and translator. After his retirement from the college he devoted himself almost wholly to literary work. He knowledge of the Chinese languages was extraordinary. He prepared many text books such as Algebra, Geometry and Mandarin dictionary. The last year of Dr. Matter's life were spent as chairman of a committee for the revision of the translation of the Bible into Chinese, a labor to which he gave himself with loving zeal. The current version of the Holy Bible is also on the basement of the Mandarin version, and from this we can acknowledge that Dr. Matter paid a very important role in the translation course of the Holy Bible. Dr. Matter was a man of unusual force of character; an educator, a scholar and an executive of high capacity. Hanover college recognized his ability and success by bestowing upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity, and in 1903 his alma mater added the degree of Doctor of Laws. We mourn that the work no longer has the benefit of his counsel; but he built so well the that the results of his labors will long endure, and his name always has a prominent place in the history of the missionary work in the Chinese empire.This thesis focuses on the forty five years activities of Dr. Matter in the modern china, and tries discovering the unique influence of the missionaries'activities to the modern China society and the relations between Sino and the foreign. In others hands, the thesis also want to discover the missionaries role in the in-depth connotation exchange between China and the West culture.